Makar Fomich Teryokhin (; – 30 March 1967) was a

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and a

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

. Teryokhin became a non-commissioned officer in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, then joined the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

during the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

, becoming a platoon commander. He commanded companies and battalions during the interwar period and became a battalion, regiment and brigade commander in the Red Army's new mechanized forces. After serving in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

as a Soviet advisor, Teryokhin commanded the 20th Tank Corps during the

Battles of Khalkhin Gol The Battles of Khalkhin Gol (russian: Бои на Халхин-Голе; mn, Халхын голын байлдаан) were the decisive engagements of the undeclared Soviet–Japanese border conflicts involving the Soviet Union, Mongolia, Jap ...

in mid-1939 and was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his leadership. He commanded the

19th Rifle Corps The 19th Rifle Corps was a corps of the Soviet Red Army. It was part of the 23rd Army. It took part in the Great Patriotic War. Organization * 142nd Rifle Division * 115th Rifle Division Commanders * Kombrig Vsevolod Yakovlev (14.07.1937 - ...

during the

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

, then returned to the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

to command the 5th Mechanized Corps. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he remained in the Far East, commanding the

2nd Red Banner Army The 2nd Red Banner Army () was a Soviet field army of World War II that served as part of the Far Eastern Front. The army was formed at Khabarovsk in the Soviet Far East in 1938 as the 2nd Army. After the Far Eastern Front was split in Septembe ...

. Teryokhin commanded the army during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria during August and September 1945. Postwar, he was a corps commander and assistant commander of two military districts before his retirement.

Early life, World War I, and Russian Civil War

Teryokhin was born on 17 March 1896 in the village of Polyany in Ryazan Governorate to a peasant family. He graduated from seven grades, working as a shepherd and in a starch plant during his childhood and adolescence. In the winter he studied at a rural school, from which he graduated in 1910. From August 1915 he served in the

as a

Ryadovoy (russian: Рядово́й) in the Army, Airborne troops, and Air Force of the Russian Federation is the designation of a member of the rank group of enlisted personnel. The rank is equivalent to ''matros'' ( ru , матрос) in the Russia ...

and an Unteroffizier. Teryokhin was sent into combat in March 1917 in the Baltic, and reached the rank of Senior Unteroffizier before the Imperial Russian Army disintegrated following the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

. He joined the

in August 1918 and fought in the

. Teryokhin became a member of the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik) in 1919. He successively served as a platoon instructor in a

volost Volost ( rus, во́лость, p=ˈvoləsʲtʲ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Eastern Europe. In earlier East Slavic history, ''volost'' was a name for the territory ruled by the knyaz, a principality; either as an absolute ...

vsevobuch department, the

armourer Historically, an armourer is a person who makes personal armour, especially plate armour. In modern terms, an armourer is a member of a military or police force who works in an armoury and maintains and repairs small arms and weapons systems, wi ...

of a

Cheka The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ( rus, Всероссийская чрезвычайная комиссия, r=Vserossiyskaya chrezvychaynaya komissiya, p=fsʲɪrɐˈsʲijskəjə tɕrʲɪzvɨˈtɕæjnəjə kɐˈmʲisʲɪjə), abbreviated ...

battalion in

Kaluga Kaluga ( rus, Калу́га, p=kɐˈɫuɡə), a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast in Russia, stands on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: Kaluga's most famous resident, the space travel pioneer Konstantin Tsiol ...

, and a platoon commander, fighting against the

Mamontov Raid Mamontov (russian: Мамонтов) is a Russian surname, derived from the Orthodox baptismal name , Mamant (Mammes, el, Μάμας, Μάμαντος). The feminine form is Mamontova. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrey Mamontov, ...

, the

Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine ( uk, Революційна Повстанська Армія України), also known as the Black Army or as Makhnovtsi ( uk, Махновці), named after their leader Nestor Makhno, was a ...

and the Tambov Rebellion. In 1920, he graduated from the Ryazan Infantry Courses.

Interwar period

Teryokhin became

commissar Commissar (or sometimes ''Kommissar'') is an English transliteration of the Russian (''komissar''), which means 'commissary'. In English, the transliteration ''commissar'' often refers specifically to the political commissars of Soviet and Eas ...

of the Kursk Military School in June 1921, and in October transferred to command a company of the 91st Preparatory Courses. He became a company commander in the 27th Oryol Rifle Regiment in December and became a battalion commander of the regiment in 1922. Teryokhin transferred to command a reconnaissance company in the 50th Rifle Regiment in May 1924 and became head of the regimental school in April 1926 after graduating from the Vystrel commander's improvement courses in 1925. In September 1927, he became a company commander in the 1st Moscow Rifle Division's 3rd Rifle Regiment. In November, Teryokhin transferred to become a training company commander at the Nizhny Novgorod Infantry School. He graduated from the Vystrel courses again in 1931 and became a battalion commander at the Nizhny Novgorod Infantry School in November 1931; he took command of a training battalion at the school, which had been converted into a tank school, in March 1932. Teryokhin graduated from the Leningrad Armored Refresher Courses for Red Army commanders later that year and Officers Technical Improvement Academic Courses at the Military Academy of Motorization and Mechanization in 1935. In March of that year he took command of the

11th Cavalry Division 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

's 10th Mechanized Regiment in the North Caucasus Military District, and was promoted to

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in 1936. Teryokhin became commander of the 10th Mechanized Brigade in July 1937. Between 1937 and 1938, Teryokhin served as a Soviet military adviser to the

Spanish Republican Army The Spanish Republican Army ( es, Ejército de la República Española) was the main branch of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic between 1931 and 1939. It became known as People's Army of the Republic (''Ejército Popular de la Repú ...

during the

. In March 1939, after returning from Spain, he was appointed commander of the 20th Tank Corps in the Transbaikal Military District. From 9 August to 16 September he led elements of the corps as part of the

1st Army Group First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

in the

. He also commanded all armored troops of the 1st Army Group. Teryokhin's tanks captured the heavily fortified heights of Palets, Zelenaya, and Remizov, destroying Japanese bunkers in fighting between 22 and 23 August. For his "skillful leadership and heroism", Teryokhin received the title

and the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

on 18 November. On 29 November he was promoted to Komdiv, skipping the rank of Kombrig. He continued to command the corps in Mongolia until December. On 3 March 1940, he took command of the

, leading it in the final stages of the

. On 4 June Teryokhin was promoted to Lieutenant General of Tank Troops, and in the same month he became commander of the 5th Mechanized Corps in the Transbaikal Military District. Teryokhin graduated from Courses of Improvement for Higher Officers (KUVNAS) at the Military Academy of the General Staff in 1941, and on 11 March of that year took command of the

of the Far Eastern Front.

World War II

For the duration of

, Teryokhin remained in the Far East, commanding the 2nd Red Banner Army, which guarded the Manchurian border. It also formed units that were sent to the front. In early August 1945, it was transferred to the

2nd Far Eastern Front __NOTOC__ The 2nd Far Eastern Front (russian: 2-й Дальневосточный фронт) was a Front—a formation equivalent to a Western Army Group—of the Soviet Army. It was formed just prior to the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and was a ...

. He led the army during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, which began on 9 August. Forward detachments from the army crossed the

Amur The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's List of longest rivers, tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China, Northeastern China (Inne ...

on 9 and 10 August, capturing three bridgeheads. On 11 August, the army began crossing the Amur with assistance from the Amur Military Flotilla, and attacked the Japanese fortifications on the opposite bank. It fought in heavy fighting for the fortified regions of Sakhalian, Aihun, and Sunwu. On 17 August the Japanese troops surrendered, and around 17,000 men of the Japanese 123rd Infantry Division were captured. In the surrender ceremony, Japanese Lieutenant General Kitazawa Teijiro handed over his

samurai sword A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

to Teryokhin. After breaking through, the army crossed the Lesser Khingan and advanced to Qiqihar, where it linked up with the Transbaikal Front on 21 August, surrounding the Japanese Fourth Army. For his leadership, Teryokhin was awarded the

Order of Kutuzov The Order of Kutuzov (russian: орден Кутузова ''orden Kutuzova'') is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named after famous Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov (1745–1813). The Order was established du ...

, 1st class on 8 September 1945.

Postwar

Postwar, Teryokhin commanded the army until December 1945, then became commander of the 36th Guards Rifle Corps from July 1946 to 20 May 1948. In 1949, he graduated from Higher Academic Courses at the Higher Military Academy (formerly the Military Academy of the General Staff), after which he became assistant commander of the troops of the Belomorsky Military District and then the Northern Military District. Teryokhin retired in August 1954 and moved to Ryazan, where he died on 30 March 1967. He was buried at the city's Skorbyashchensky Cemetery. A street in Polyana was named for Teryokhin.

Awards

Teryokhin received the following awards and decorations: *

(3) *

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

(2) *

, 1st class *

Order of the Red Banner (Mongolian People's Republic) The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of t ...

(1939)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Teryokhin memorabilia at the Ryazan Kremlin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teryokhin, Makar 1896 births 1967 deaths People from Ryazansky District, Ryazan Oblast People from Ryazansky Uyezd Bolsheviks Soviet lieutenant generals Imperial Russian Army personnel Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Soviet military personnel of the Winter War Soviet military personnel of World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class